Tap Tempo is the way to go.

Small tip is instead of deciding a tempo and banging out a sequence in time to the machine. One can first just play a rhythm that you feel by practice until you can feel what you want to layer down. Then once you are comfortable with your internal groove, tap out the timing on your mpc`s tap tempo button and now the machine is set to you. This seems basic but it will bring the machine in time with you instead of the other way around. Record the groove and the machine will be locked into whatever you are playing with timing correct set to off or 1/96th off. I tend to stay with 1/96th for drums as I`m a 2xl and 3k head also.


Main point for this thread is a small tip to set the machine to your internal rhythm before recording. Go by feeling instead, HAVE YOUR MACHINE SET TO YOU, instead of you trying to get in time with YOUR 4K.

Always set the tap tempo under options to 4 taps in my book as this is a natural beat and it works well too with synchropatization. These days I go with 100% timing off quantization to get my complete feel. It is useful to practice your favorite rhythms from popular songs you like and then embellise them to make it your own. The body's bounce is the real mpc groove everybody, well most of us have it. Tap out your tempo and record with the machine in time with you. The mpc becomes more of a recorder and you are the groove machine.

Blue Haze wrote:One can first just play a rhythm that you feel by practice until you can feel what you want to layer down. Then once you are comfortable with your internal groove, tap out the timing on your mpc`s tap tempo button and now the machine is set to you.

I thought this was how everyone got down

AWW_NAWW wrote:

Blue Haze wrote:One can first just play a rhythm that you feel by practice until you can feel what you want to layer down. Then once you are comfortable with your internal groove, tap out the timing on your mpc`s tap tempo button and now the machine is set to you.

I thought this was how everyone got down

For myself yes and no and it may be for alot of others I don't know but I guess not with alot of users asking similar questions about timing and swing. See my first and biggest past mistake was practicing my groove then setting my tempo to a samples bpm and recording the rhytm in or slowing the tempo down both with the wheel and recording over the sample. But I realize now that playing to the machine was actually ficking my timing up hence I had to go to step edit to either edit or punch it in. Years before I switch to quantize off I used the swing settings, 16triplets, 32nd and 1/96th off to get the bumping feel on the FALSE idea of the mpc's timing brings the funk. Cus at the time when I went total off 960 my hits would be late or too early. But I'm know now the funk isn't a 3k, 60, 4k or other mpc., it's the player. Human timing is the best. And the best way to achieve that is to bring the mpc in time with oneself by using tap tempo playing the same rhytm that was practiced before. Trusting one's ear it far better than trying to keep up with the metrodome. The metrodome follows me is the way and it is natural as this is what my body feels. After that I arrange that samples and arrangement to what I laid down.

The mpc becomes nothing more than a midi recorder.


Yeah it is a bit long but I wanted to stated that once we set the machine to our groove (through tap tempo) all the quantization, swing and whatnot isn't needed. Tap tempo is a great assest to use.

Oh yea, I figured this out too. Your right OP, tune the machine to your internal rhythm. Beats come out way more soulful, unique, and original this way.

The body's bounce is the real mpc groove everybody

Exactly. I don't use an MPC but it's the same way with software sequencers. It's all about trusting your own rhythm.



Someone already mentioned turning quantize all the way off. If it doesn't sound good record it again and again, it sounds more like a performance this way. This was a frustration I had when I was using the MPC500.



Another tip is to turn metronome off while recording. This is another way to tune into your own internal rhythm. If you "have" to have it on, you can turn it down to it every bar instead of every beat


Also never have your drums or instruments at the same velocity. The little differences in hit velocity give a dynamic range which gives more of a human/emotional feel. This is another reason why I don't do any "hard" mastering in my final mixdown. Compression kills dynamic range also.



This is why I think 70's music was so damn good. Everything was just "raw".